Senate Elections 2006

Above: An election official stands
in front of a board listing senate candidates for Bangkok. Note the
various candidates who are blacked out--they are people who were disqualified
for various reasons.

Left: Nitipoom Naowarat's Bangkok Governor
campaign poster from 2004. Nitipoom is an influential Thai
Rath columnists and the top vote-getting senate candidate
in Bangkok. His website is here,
but it seems to be offline.

Nitiphum
top-vote earner in Bangkok- The Nation,
April 20, 2006 Thai
Rak Thai calls on for disqualification of three Bangkok top winners- The Nation, April 20, 2006 Thailand's
'husbands and wives' senate- Bangkok
Post, April 20, 2006 ...But unofficial vote counts on Thursday indicated
that only a handful of truly independent candidates in Bangkok will win
seats in the next senate, while the upcountry tally was going primarily
to candidates with strong connections to politicians, many of them even
wives or husbands of elected members of parliament, observers said.
"We've dubbed it the husbands and wives chamber," cracked former
senator Mechai Viravidhaya, Thailand's famed family planning crusader.
"It's totally against what the constitution says. You're not supposed
to be a politician."...More on the election: ThaiElections.comVote
For Me!- Bangkok Recorder, April
19, 2006
Another irreverent feature from the Recorder--this time critiquing
the senate election posters.

(Photo: Mr. John for 2Bangkok.com)

Senate election day - April
19, 2006
Mr. John reports: People in Yala come to vote in the senator election
on April 19. There are 8 candidates, but only one can be senator. The
atmosphere of the election is strict safety provided by security personnel.

Senate elections tomorrow: "Vote
for the wife of your favorite government minister"-
April 19, 2006

(Photo: 2Bangkok.com)

Thai-language forumers on Pantip.com have joked
that when you vote for the supposedly nonpolitical senate you
can "vote for the wife of your favorite government minister."
Below are links to the English-language profile pages of these
"political relatives" from the EC website...

Senate election poster: Amnuay Klinyu- April 18, 2006Left: Amnuay Klinyu, Chairperson of the Blind Persons Sport
Association of ThailandForeign
election observers to monitor Thai Senate election-
VNA, April 18, 2006Foreigners from more than 20 countries worldwide will observe
the April 19 Senate election in Thailand to monitor the transparency
of Thailand's Upper House contest, held once every six-years, the
Thai News Agency reported on April 18.
According to Election Commissioner Gen. Charuphat Ruangsuwan, the
foreign observers are scheduled to witness the senatorial polls
in a number of northeastern and southern provinces, including Khon
Kaen, Nong Khai and Phuket.
Observers from Australia, Austria, India, Japan, Kenya, Pakistan,
Poland and Uzbekistan, among others, are planning to witness Thailand's
election process and observe the polling system applied in this
country, the commissioner said...

(Photo: 2Bangkok.com)

Senate election posters-
April 11, 2006 Above: 107 - Dr.Pipat Preedawiphat
160 - Lieutenant Colonel MD. Kamolpan Cheewapansri
31 - Mr. Thawee Krakupt [Thawee is a former Democrat Deputy Minister
of Commerce. For over a decade he had a billboard on the way to Don
Muang Airport showing the trademark image of him with his mouth covered
with tape. Anyone recall what that billboard said?]
184 - Mr. Jumnong Chaimongkol
66 - Mr.Prateep Watcharachokkasem

Senate election poster: Phichit Rattakul- April 8, 2006 Above: Senate election poster of former Bangkok Governor
Phichit (or Bhichit) Rattakul. He was once head of the Mot Ngarn
(Worker Ants Party)... not to be confused with his father, former
Democrat Deputy PM Bhichai Rattakul.
Senate elections will be held April 19.